Frank S. Williamson
Francis Samuel Williamson (18 January 1865 – 6 February 1936) was an Australian poet.Hugh Anderson, Williamson, Francis Samuel (1865–1936), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, ADB.ANU.edu.au, Web, Mar. 24, 2012. Life Youth Williamson was the son of an English-born coachmaker and his Scottish wife. He was born in Fitzroy, Victoria, and attended Scotch College, Melbourne. In 1882 he was appointed as a pupil-teacher at Flemington State School and the following year moved to North Melbourne State School. Teaching career Williamson taught at Wesley College, Melbourne from 1888 until 1894 under Arthur Way's headship. He was popular as a junior master and was known as Long Bill. His classes were informal and easy-going for the boys - a situation not entirely agreeable to all his students. Sir Frederic Eggleston's judgement was severe: while a good poet who inspired many boys with a love of poetry, Williamson "was irregular and though he was kept on for many years … became almost an outcast." Williamson moved to Sydney in 1894 to join Arthur Lucas's staff at Newington College. While at Newington he wrote the words for the school song, Dear Newingtonia. In 1902 he returned to Wesley to teach, to coach rowing and cricket and to serve as an officer of cadets. In 1904 he was dismissed for drunkenness. The rest of Williamson's teaching career was spent as a locum in the Victorian Department of Education. He was a temporary head teacher in fifty-four rural schools between 1905 and 1930. He died in Melbourne having never married. Writing As a young man Williamson had written verse of small merit, but in middle life for a short period he appears to have been inspired by the scenery of his native country to do better work which he polished with great care. With Bernard O'Dowd he belonged to a discussion group called The Heretics. A collection of Williamson's poetry, Purple and Gold, containing 28 poems, was published by Thomas LothianThe La Trobe Journal Retrieved 28.9.2007 in 1912, under the name Frank S. Williamson. The first edition of the anthology had several misprints, but these were corrected in a second and enlarged edition published in 1940 with a portrait. The new book of poetry contained 55 poems and was published with a foreword by Sir John Latham, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. He saw "a lyrical quality of delicate beauty" in Williamson's work. Some of the poems in this volume have the true touch and have been deservedly included in several anthologies of Australian verse. His best known poem, 'The Magpie's Song',' appeared in several anthologies over the next two decades. Percival Serle considered Williamson a strange case of an educated man writing a fair amount of verse of little merit until in middle life "something blossomed in him and he wrote half a dozen quite beautiful poems.". Recognition On his retirement the Commonwealth awarded Williamson a literary pension. Publications *''Purple and Gold: Poems and lyrics. Melbourne: Lothian, 1912; **revised and expanded as ''Purple and Gold: Collected poems and lyrics. Melbourne: Lothian, 1940. w Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Australian Poetry Library.Frank S. Williamson (1865-1936), Australian Poetry Library, Web, Mar. 24, 2012. See also * List of Australian poets References * R.H. Croll, I Recall (Melb, 1939) * G. Blainey (et al.), Wesley College (Melb, 1967) * D.S. Macmillan, Newington College 1863-1963 (Syd, 1963) * P.L. Swain Newington, Across the Years 1893-1998 (Syd, 1999) Notes External links ;Poems *Frank S. Williamson in the Oxford Book of Australasian Verse: "The Magpie's Song," "Dew," "A Dirge," "She comes as comes the summer night," "Thrushes" * Frank S. Williamson (1865-1936) in the Australian Poetry Library (28 poems). ;About * Williamson, Francis Samuel (1865–1936) in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. Category:1865 births Category:1936 deaths Category:Poets from Melbourne Category:Australian poets Category:Australian educators Category:Staff of Newington College Category:20th-century poets Category:19th-century poets Category:Poets